Arc 5, Chapter 33 – “Stratagem on the City Hall”

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All rights belong to Tappei Nagatsuki, the original author of the Re:Zero series. This is an English translation of the free web novel which is available at:

http://ncode.syosetu.com/N2267BE/

Translated by:

• Nanashi-tan
• Phantaminum

Proofread by:

• Phantaminum
• SSCaide

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——The silent Pristella’s siege had, up until now, seemed to be naught but a fanciful story. Walking atop of the stone slab, Subaru glimpsed the flowing waterway.

The water running within was clear and pollution-free. Even now, it flowed along its constant, well-established path. The mysterious mechanism which split the flow between left and right was still up and running. As long as the floodgates resumed their function, anyone would believe that the peril the city was under was little more than a nightmare.

Garfiel: [Captain, ya can’t drag yer feet, y’know.]

Subaru: [I know, I know. Every second that passes, the danger of this City Hall Capture mission increases by ten percent.]

Ricardo: [In that case, if eleven seconds pass, then we’re screwed, yeah? Well, that prolly ain’t far from the truth, actually.]

Garfiel, who had taken the lead, narrowed his eyes in displeasure as Ricardo’s loud voice rang out through the air. However, the beastman’s expression was not discouraged in the least. Carrying his sharp machete, he strode forward with vigorous steps, but not even his cavalier attitude was enough to relieve Garfiel’s tension and guilt.

Ricardo looked no different from usual, while Garfiel had clearly discarded his usual demeanor.

Even so, three people who Ricardo considered family were hurt, and maintaining a calm state of mind right now was difficult. This had been made clear back in the shelter.

On the other hand, that typical unfounded self-confidence and recklessness of Garfiel’s had vanished, and what remained was a cautious and more timid attitude, a change that emitted an ominous message.

Subaru: […Well, I can’t say that I’m any better off, either.]

Those two were not the only ones unable to maintain their usual state of mind.

Subaru had suffered an injury to his right leg, Beatrice was unconscious, and, most importantly, Emilia’s safety was uncomfirmed. All of those weighed heavily on his mind. The only reason he had been so quick to try and change the situation is that his experience told him that not seizing the initiative would hasten a terrible result.

Three groups to capture the City Hall building, each of them with their own problems.

Having encountered neither Witch Cultists nor mobs along the way, they successfully arrived at the rendezvous point. And there,

Wilhelm: [Subaru-dono.]

Crusch: [It is great to see that you are all safe.]

Wilhelm and Crusch seemed enthusiastic about Subaru’s arrival. Of course, Julius had also come along with them, who elegantly stroked his hair.

Julius: [I am sure that you are worried out of your mind for Emilia-sama, are you sure it is okay for you to be here instead?]

Subaru: [I am not stupid enough to lose sight of what’s truly the priority here, for the good of everyone. And as irritating as it sounds, Emilia was why that bastard was there in the first place. I feel that I don’t know to think about him harming Emilia, right now.]

Julius: [I feel for you. If Anastasia-sama were placed in the same situation, I doubt I would be able to keep my composure.]

After nodding in response to his concerned words, Subaru turned to Wilhelm. The old swordsman closed his eyes as he crossed his arms, his whole body irradiating the quiet energy of a swordsman. Subaru could not tell what he was picturing in his mind, nor what thoughts were swirling behind his eyelids.

However, as if sensing Subaru’s gaze, Wilhelm opened his eyes, and reached into his coat. He withdrew a mirror and handed it to Subaru.

Wilhelm: [Subaru-dono, this is a Conversation Mirror. In the heat of battle, I doubt I shall have any leeway to operate it, so I shall leave this to you.]

Subaru: [Understood. Let’s move as planned.]

Placing the mirror carefully in his pocket, Subaru nodded. As discussed earlier, the Conversation Mirror would be distributed among the members of the three shelters, so that there would be one person in charge of communication. Subaru, the least useful in fighting affairs, held one mirror, while the other was held by Ferris, who was been travelling between shelters. The last one was held by Anastasia, who served as their source of intelligence.

Ideally, they would have these three places cooperating for the best results.

Crusch: [Then, to confirm again. We are moving to the battlefield identified by Garfiel-sama, where two Witch Cultists are guarding the City Hall. One is a giant who handles two broadswords, and the other is a woman with a slender longsword. Is that right?]

Garfiel: [Yep, that’s right. Neither of ‘em are yer common swordsmen. If ya don’t do like I did, you’d prolly end up sliced in two by either of ‘em in no time.]

Going over all their information once again, Crusch was the first to speak again. Nodding at Garfiel’s response, she turned back to Julius and Wilhelm.

Crusch: [In addition to those two, we believe that the Sin Archbishop of Lust is also occupying the City Hall. I imagine that other Witch Cultists will make an appearance there as well. Have either of you heard much about Lust?]

Julius: [My apologies. As far as knowledge from the Royal Guards goes, no one has ever heard of Lust. Sloth and Greed are much more famous, and Subaru should be better suited to talk about Greed.]

Halfway through speaking, Julius had turned to Subaru. Subaru nodded――

Subaru: [Having seen Greed for myself, I don’t believe that the stories about him are a lie. But… that Empire. He took out their strongest Knight? I’m a bit skeptical about that. He’s strong, but, in terms of combat prowess, he’s such an amateur. I could match him. Although, he can negate any attack…]

Ricardo: [And that wasn’t due to yer own strength?]

Subaru: [Not this time. The Sin Archbishop had a quarrel between them, and although Wrath engulfed Greed in flames, it didn’t hurt him in the slightest. Even his clothing was untouched. He didn’t even break a sweat.]

Regulus’s Authority could easily be dubbed as invincibility. How convenient. If that were true, then the City Hall Raiders would eventually be forced to face the worst of enemies. Although he wanted to believe that it was not such an unreasonable and straight-forward ability.

Subaru: [If only we also had our strongest, we wouldn’t have to worry about it…]

Julius: [Reinhard would never be absent when innocent civilians are in such danger. I think that he may be facing a problem that leaves him unable to move. It is possible that, much like us, he has been caught in an encounter with other Witch Cultists.]

Only Julius seemed to understand what was passing through Subaru’s mind at the moment.

Prior to the start of all this, Felt and Reinhard had come into contact with Heinkel. He could only hope that the obnoxious idea which had taken root in his mind upon hearing about their meeting was wrong.

Subaru: [Other than that, there’s something that I want to confirm. The name Lust called herself, Capella Emerada Lugunica. Why would she possibly call herself part of the Lugunican Royal Family?]

Ricardo: [She’s gotta be jokin’. Everyone knows that the whole Royal Family has died.]

Crusch: [It might not be misinformation. It seems too premature to dismiss it as just a prank.]

Ricardo and Crusch gave Subaru differing opinions.

The Witch Cult being what it was, either possibility was worth considering. The poor character of this Lust could be clearly heard in her voice. A prank, as Ricardo had said, was likely indeed, but she could also prove to be an enigma.

However, in the face of those different proposals, Wilhelm raised a hand.

Wilhelm: [I do recall one thing.]

Subaru: [What is it?]

Wilhelm: [Although I do not know of any Capella, I have heard a little about the reputation of Emerada Lugunica. That does not necessarily mean that there is any direct connection… but there was indeed someone named Emerada in the history of the Royal Family of Lugunica.]

Subaru: [————!]

Surprised by this, everyone’s eyes grew wide as Wilhelm pondered with his hand to his chin.

Wilhelm: [Her name traces back to before the Demi-Human War, before I joined the army. So around fifty years ago. At the time, the Lugunica Royal Family had someone very beautiful and very clever by the name of Emerada-sama.]

Subaru: [And Lust called herself Emerada? For what purpose?]

Wilhelm: [As for her intentions, I do not know either. Only, I believe that Emerada-sama became ill at a young age. But… a state funeral was never held in her honor.]

Neglecting to hold a funeral for the death of a member of the Royal Family was somewhat strange. Subaru tilted his head, and Wilhelm attempted to explain.

Wilhelm: [The reason given was that the times were rough. However, the real reason was that public sentiment was against it.]

Subaru: [The people didn’t…?]

Wilhelm: [Although Emerada was beautiful and very intelligent, she… her nature was extremely cruel, and an immeasurable amount of darkness laid within her. Therefore, even the Royal Family of Lugunica regarded her as… a heretic. Even the news of her death was in fact hidden from the public for a while.]

With only an unconfirmed testimony, saying such dubious words about the Kingdom he had once served probably left a bitter taste on Wilhelm’s tongue. His words had begun to waver in the second half of his explanation.

And everyone had seen for themselves Lust’s terrible character.

Subaru: [I’m sure it’s not her… but Lust called herself Emerada…]

Wilhelm: [An attempt to slander the Royal Family of Lugunica, and some harassment in poor taste of those who know Emerada-sama’s name. I think it is a rather roundabout way to induce suspicion.]

The result of Wilhelm’s conclusion was a sigh of relief. Unlike those with little loyalty to the Kingdom such as Subaru, Garfiel, and Ricardo, the feelings of Crusch, Wilhelm, and Julius were unfathomable.

Such ungrateful, vicious ridicule toward the Royal Family was certainly not permissible.

Subaru: [In spite of that… Capella, Capella…]

Julius: [Any thoughts on that name?]

Julius turned his attention sharply as he spoke, noticing Subaru’s bitter expression.

Subaru: [Nothing, it’s just…]

After a brief pause, Subaru scratched his head as he continued.

Subaru: [It’s not just Capella. Regulus, and Sirius too. And come to think of it, even Petelgeuse… But it’s hard for me to believe it makes sense. It can’t be it.]

Garfiel: [Cut the crap, Captain. Tell us already. What’s so special ‘bout their names?]

Subaru: [It’s no big deal, but… It’s just, you could kinda say that they have the same names as the stars in my hometown, or something like that.]

Crusch: [Name of the stars, is it?]

In response to Subaru, Crusch widened her eyes, looking deeply interested. Seeing that everyone else shared her reaction, Subaru scratched his head.

Subaru: [Don’t give me strange looks, okay? In my hometown, all the stars were given names, and the Sin Archbishops just happen to share their names. I quite enjoy learning about the stars and their stories, so I know some extra details.]

Crusch: [Really, you have quite the unusual hobby. Stars, huh.]

Subaru: [Just so you know, my name, Subaru, also comes from the stars. But that’s not important right now. That’s all I have to say. Sorry if it’s boring.]

Feeling embarrassed, Subaru attempted to shake the inquisitive eyes of the ones staring at him. However, Crusch rejected Subaru’s attempts to end the conversation.

Crusch: [Please wait, Subaru-sama. Is that all there is to those star names? It just so happens that their names are coincidentally the names of your stars, is that all?]

Subaru: [You think that’s not all?]

Crusch: [For example, could the roots of their names be the names of the stars that Subaru-sama knows about? From the reason of their founding to the activities they carry out, everything about the Witch Cult is shrouded in many layers of mystery. We cannot easily discard something that they may share a connection with.]

Subaru: [————]

Subaru, although surprised at Crusch’s unexpected questioning, was still lost in his own thoughts. Really, Subaru had always believed that the star-related names had been mere coincidence. Why? This was, after all, a different world. There would be no reason for the names of the stars Subaru knew to have disseminated here.

But could he say so with absolute certainty?

In this very place, Pristella, Subaru had witnessed Japanese house architecture being replicated under the guise of Wafuu architecture. In Kararagi, the okonomiyaki, and perhaps even the Kansai dialect, were cultural landmarks established by Hoshin’s own hand.

Perhaps the founding of the Witch Cult had some root in modern knowledge known to Subaru. To name the Sin Archbishops after stars was a tasteless endeavor, in practice.

Subaru: [Petelgeuse. Regulus. Sirius. Capella…]

Julius: [Correct. Subaru, you said there were anecdotes related to the names of the stars. What kind of stories are those? Maybe there is a connection somewhere.]

Subaru: [Anecdotes, anecdotes…]

He dug through the thinning memories of his original world, recalling his fading knowledge about the stars.

He had once deeply loved celestial illustrations. Knowing that his name’s origin laid in the stars, Subaru had greedily immersed himself in drawings of constellations and had engraved a great number of stars into his mind.

And among them, there was a star with the same name as the widely-detested Sin Archbishops.

Subaru: [The underarm of Orion, or the hand of Orion…]

Crusch: [Eh?]

Hearing the word “underarm” in a place she never would have imagined, Crusch tilted her head to the side. However, Subaru did not register her reaction, approaching her, and gripping and shaking her slender shoulders.

Subaru: [Hand of Orion! That’s right! It’s called the hand of Orion!]

Crusch: [Su-Subaru-sama? What… Orion’s hand?]

Subaru: [Petelgeuse… the origin of his name is a star. His Authority was the Unseen Hand, and the star he was named after has another name, the hand of Orion!]

It was almost laughably far-fetched.

But were they only related by chance? Was it merely an amusing coincidence of symbolism?

Not Petelgeuse, but a star named Betelgeuse—— that was a familiar name to Subaru. The small mismatch had been the reason he had yet to notice it.

Subaru: [Sirius is “the one who burns” and “the one who shines”, and she can use Fire Magic, that’s not subtle at all. At most it’s literal… Regulus is the “little king”. Isn’t that exactly like that bastard’s self-centered values!? And Capella is…!]

Crusch: [Capella is…?]

Subaru: [Female goat! A female goat! Capella’s a female goat!]

Digging through his memory, Subaru searched for some meaning relationship between the mythos of the stars and the Sin Archbishops. A smirk emerged on Subaru’s face, showing off his excitement in finding a meaning to the connections.

Instead, listening to Subaru’s answer, Crusch kept her brow pressed down while holding his shoulder. Then she looked to the other four people, who also wore complex expressions.

Julius: [Orion’s underarm?]

Wilhelm: [Something that shines?]

Ricardo: [Small king?]

Garfiel: [The hell’s a “female goat”?]

Subaru: [——Ah?]

At the reaction of the four people who tilted their heads, Subaru belatedly realized that his discovery was far more useless than he had first thought.

Crusch: [Subaru-sama, I apologize. It seems that my thoughts have led us astray.]

Yes, even Crusch looked sorry.

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The attempt to relate the name of the stars, as well as their origin, and the names of the Sin Archbishops had failed spectacularly.

However, they had no time to spend lamenting that failure. No more time could be wasted before launching a blitzkrieg operation, in which time was of the essence. As a result, they attacked after their abilities and combat styles were shared and discussed between them.

To be on the safe side, the members of the Iron Fang, who had accompanied Julius and Crusch, had gone ahead as a scouting force, ensuring that the way to the City Hall was clear. The six of them would arrive safely.

Garfiel: [Yep, it’s just like last time, nothin’s changed…]

Nose twitching, Garfiel confirmed the lack of any new enemy presences. According to what he had said, he had been ambushed after crossing the road straight ahead, as he was about to enter the City Hall. But neither Garfiel’s nose nor Subaru’s eyes found the silhouettes he had mentioned.

If those were not present, they could just take the City Hall and move on. Just as Subaru wanted to celebrate a lack of enemies,

Garfiel: [————]

Garfiel equipped his shields in both hands, and Ricardo held his machete in a battle-ready stance. Wilhelm, on the other hand, eyed the whole of the plaza with the calmness of a tranquil lake. What would it mean, for those three, that there was no enemy in sight? In particular, Wilhelm surely had much he needed to confirm.

Julius: [This area is completely open. Although my Quasi Spirits have been sent to patrol it, they found no path we could sneak along. It seems that our only option is to approach directly.]

Julius had six Quasi Spirits following him. He had sent those to scout out their surroundings, then report back to the group. The location was especially unpleasant, as it was difficult to launch an offensive. And, likewise, was difficult to defend.

Subaru: [Can’t you send your Spirits inside to scout? Just knowing how many enemies there are and the building’s general layout would make our job that much easier.]

Julius: [Apologies, but my buds are still unable to perform an order that complicated. And it is possible that the enemy is not unable to detect the presence of Spirits, so that would be difficult.]

Subaru: [That wouldn’t be your fault. Still, that’s a shame, it would have been really helpful.]

Not knowing the circumstances inside the City Hall itself would mean that their turmoil would possibly escalate. That said, waiting would only cause the situation to worsen. Although the Witch Cult had claimed they were going to make a request during the next broadcast, there was no way they could negotiate with them.

Subaru: [Then, just as we planned. Although the enemy has combat effectiveness on their side, we’ll take one person at a time. We’ll handle this quickly, and then get rid of the guy who’s occupying this place!]

Julius: [Although that is optimistic thinking, I look forward to our success.]

Julius gave an ironic response to Subaru’s speech, and the party took off. Without needing a signal, they ran up the straight road, towards the plaza in front of the City Hall.

There was no sign of an enemy appearing from anywhere.

Garfiel ran in the lead, followed by Wilhelm and Julius. Ricardo followed them, and Crusch and Subaru held the rear. His right leg felt, for all intents and purposes, fine. Although it was in a strange state of feeling no sensations, he could run without hindrance.

Crusch: [——They’re here!]

Two figures fell upon Garfiel, who stood in the lead.

As the group witnessed the large blades and a slender longsword flutter in the air that composed the surprise attack, Crusch gave a courageous shout and drew her own weapon, at the rear.

——One Blow, One-Hundred Felled was unleashed.

The strike that was unleashed, cutting diagonally towards the enemy, was a special attack by Crusch, one that was augmented by her Divine Protection of Wind Reading. Anything within her field of vision, even at great distance, could be struck by one of her blades of wind. That was Crusch’s long range swordplay, which had even made a dent in the White Whale’s magically enhanced defenses.

The sound of steel on steel rang out, and the giant and woman whirled away.

Subaru: [Did you get them?]

Crusch: [No, they deflected it! No hit!]

Her surprise attack to counter the surprise attack had failed to make contact.

Two black-garbed figures landed on the stone pavement, having dealt with the wind blade using their own steel blades, and turned around. Two giant blades, and a single-edged longsword. From top to bottom, they were indeed both clad in the despicable black garb of the Witch Cult.

The two figures did not show any side-effects from the previous attack. They tilted their bodies forward slightly, about to kick off from the ground. However, before that,

Julius: [Although you blocked Crusch-sama’s blow, can you take this?]

Three different colors glowed from above, the light emitted by the Spirits pouring down upon the Witch Cultists. Julius’s six Quasi Spirits, working in groups of three, cast a magic attack on the giant and woman both. That magical light, which Subaru had never seen before, applied an appalling pressure to the two opponent, the tremendous pressure forcing them to kneel.

As the enemy was unable to withstand that force, Garfiel and Wilhelm rushed the woman, while Ricardo swung his blade over his head as he leapt towards the giant.

Garfiel: [Take this!]
Wilhelm: [Haa——!]
Ricardo: [It’s over!]

In a flash of silver, emanating an overwhelming pressure, the Sword Demon took off, aiming to run his blade across the opponent’s body. Ricardo’s machete, driven by that uncanny physical strength held by the beastman, slashed down in a straight line, not to cut, but to smash the unprotected head. If they could strike a kill at this interval——

Woman: [————]

The kneeling woman turned her sword in her grip and slashed at Garfiel and Wilhelm’s legs. They immediately dodged by leaping, but the woman followed with the same trajectory, twisting to stretch a leg around Garfiel’s neck, moving him into the range of Julius’s magic.

Garfiel: [Wha——]

Entering Garfiel’s blind spot, the woman protected herself from any magical effects using Garfiel as a shield. Then, her knee shattered Garfiel’s nose as she grabbed his left arm with her free hand and used his shield to block Wilhelm’s slash.

At this profound display of skill, Garfiel cried out in pain, while Wilhelm cursed.

Breaking their stalemate, she delivered a roundhouse kick to the old swordsman, releasing Garfiel in the process. Although her movements should have been constrained, her blow was powerful enough to send Wilhelm flying. Just as he regained his balance, she had already made another half-turn on the spot, delivering a swift follow-up kick.

Giant: [————]

Meanwhile, Ricardo’s attack had been stopped just short of the giant’s head.

Still kneeling due to the magical effects cast by Julius, the giant had readily discarded the big swords he held in both hands to block the hatchet block that approached his skull. Then, he lifted his unguarded hands and brought them between his head and the hatchet.

Ricardo: [Idiot, it’s over!]

As the obvious result of his flawed judgement, his arms would be severed.

Even though Ricardo’s machete was blunt, it contained incredible momentum and power. The giant’s thick arms were amputated by the impact of the blow and his upper arms flew through the air as black blood spewed forth.

Giant: [————]

Ricardo stepped back and swept his machete up, aiming to bring it upon the giant who had lost both of his arms. A slash powerful enough to knock down a gigantic tree would vaporize the giant’s neck.

However, the giant simply used his extra arms to retrieve his broadswords from the stone pavement, deflecting the fatal blow with merely one of the swords.

Ricardo: [What!?]

A curtain of blood sprayed forth from the stumps of the giant’s amputated arms, nullifying the effect of the magic that Julius had cast. Now freed, the giant was again capable of the agile action that betrayed his enormous form. Even though he had lost his arms in a split-second decision, he had the determination needed to discover the effects and the weaknesses of the magic spell, and act accordingly.

Ricardo gradually became unable to withstand the flurry of blades that followed. The giant was far too skilled with those titanic cleavers, and far too battle-hardened. Even though he had managed to knock away the pair of broadswords, Ricardo had one of the giant’s other hands thrusted into his torso.

He groaned at the power of that blow, and another fist collided with his face, sending the beastman’s burly body flying backward.

Woman: [————]

Giant: [————]

Against the three opponents who were now on the defensive, the woman and giant raised their weapons, weapons of special kind, with clear intent to kill.

The back line finally having caught up with those other three――

Julius: [Combination Magic, Fall Goa!]

Crusch: [Hit!]

Subaru: [Come on, please!]

Julius’s incantation ushered wind, and a shade of vermilion mixed with the vortex of air. The resulting tornado of flame swiftly met with the woman trying to chase Garfiel, the latter jumping back to safety.

Then, with overlapping voice almost resembling a prayer, Crusch’s wind blade and Subaru’s whip whistled through the air, striking the giant’s body. His huge form shook due to the diagonal slash, and a painful wound appeared on the giant’s chest, courtesy of the source of that shrill sound.

However, neither injury was a serious matter for him. Even so, they had succeeded in stopping the giant’s assault, and the fallen Ricardo kicked up at the giant’s jaw.

Ricardo: [Ha, ya were askin’ for it!]

Subaru: [Is this really the time to say that? Fall back, Ricardo!]

Carried by the momentum of the kick’s release, Ricardo spun backward, retrieving his hatchet and wiping his face of blood, before retreating to join with Crusch and Subaru, ready to confront the giant again.

Glancing to the side, and seeing that the woman had been enclosed in a tornado flame, Subaru’s eyes involuntarily widened.

Subaru: [What’s that!? You, you can actually use such spectacular magic!?]

Julius: [It is merely a bluff. I am not proficient enough to make it lethal just yet. And in fact…]

Julius replied bitterly, and the spectacle before their eyes confirmed his words. As the woman bathed in that tornado of flame, the sword in her hand flashed—— and the heart of that wind was pierced by her slight movement. Unbalanced, the tornado collapsed and faded.

That woman’s elegant, peerless swordplay. And the giant’s own special physiology.

Subaru: [You’re kidding…]

The front of his black robe was opened, and the giant’s many arms were revealed. He nonchalantly picked his severed arms up from the ground and pressed them against his stumps, as blood and flesh knit with a sickening sound. A mere moment later, the giant’s formerly missing arms were reattached, with only scant traces of the injury remaining. As if confirming that healing, he took his large blades in them again, waving them around as if to test the feeling.

Both looked undefeatable.

Subaru: [By contrast, it’s clear that our blitzkrieg failed.]

Looking sideways, Garfiel and Wilhelm, who had escaped using Julius’s magic support, were receiving first-aid to their injuries, by way of Garfiel’s healing magic.

However, the reality set in that Garfiel and Wilhelm, working together, had been soundly defeated. That sense of despair could not easily be erased.

But it would be a mistake to say that their situation was completely hopeless.

Subaru: [Although close combat is unreliable… long-ranged attacks could still be effective.]

Julius’s magic, Crusch’s blade of wind, and even Subaru’s whip had connected. The last one would not be all that helpful, even if it had indeed worked, but the other two attacks certainly had a chance to turn the tide.

Subaru: [————]

At Subaru’s comment and expectant gaze, both Julius and Crusch nodded.

Garfiel and Wilhelm also understood the power of their opponents in close combat. From the start, Ricardo had not held any designs to face either of them alone.

The melee fighters would interfere with their enemies’ movement, and any gaps would be filled with magical attacks. This was likely the best way to minimize injuries and achieve victory.

The unity of the entire party would start the pace of the battle again. Then, at that moment,

???: [Chaotically, grudgingly, a mad triple-time! [1] What kind of garbage pieces of meat like you can so foolishly, ugly, superficially dare to live? In the words of this elegant, patient lady—— Kahahahaha!]

Abruptly piercing the battlefield was an inconspicuously sharp laugh.

However, upon hearing that voice, everyone understood that the appearance of its owner meant the situation had taken a turn for the worst. Therefore, Subaru shuddered and shifted his gaze around, searching for that figure.

Where was she? Where was that laughter coming from?

???: [Where are you looking, you dull, dimwitted pieces of shit? It’s because of this foolishness~ that you can’t be saved. Come one, open your filthy eyes wide, and think hard with your empty heads. Then maybe this gentle lady will show mercy to your filthy souls!]

Crusch: [——No way.]

Next to Subaru, whose gaze swerved around, Crusch had drawn a hoarse breath. Her amber eyes were fixed overhead. With a sinking feeling of understanding, Subaru followed her gaze expecting to see Lust at the end of it.

Her line of sight pointed to the roof of the City Hall, far away. That place was the origin of the loud ridicule poured down upon them, as if the owner of that voice was looking down upon ants from a great height.

In fact, that was more or less the situation. That was because,

Capella: [Gahhahahahaha! Really, that face! That stupid face! Did you save it just for me? If so, it is such a wonderful imitation of a foolish ape that this kind lady would like to give you praise! Or would you prefer saliva? You’d be very happy with my precious saliva, right? For you pieces of rubbish, it must be a coveted treasure, right~!?]

Raucous laughter echoed through the air as Subaru glanced upward. The giant and swordswoman did not have the slightest reaction as an ally joined them against their fellow opponents.

On the battlefield, Lust appeared, and——

Capella: [Once more! This lovely lady is the Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult, representing Lust——!]

——As the name of Lust was announced, a black dragon looked down upon them with a smile.

Capella: [——I am Capella Emerada Lugunica-sama! Die! You rotten slabs of meat!]

Translation Notes:

[1] – Musical term (三拍子). For more information, see here.